Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain) once said: “Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.”
Wait. Is this quote from one of his books, or his essays, or one of his short stories? I want to be accurate. Since I obviously can’t ask him, I decide to surf the web to find out more information about this quote. I only get confused. One website states this is one of Mark Twain’s famous quotes; another merely attributes this quote to Mark Twain; and another claims that this quote is a total misquote. Mark Twain never said that. What Mark Twain really said, according to this particular website, was, “A successful book is not made of what is in it, but of what is left out of it.”
Who’s right and who’s wrong? I don’t know and it really doesn't matter that much. I can avoid the entire issue by using another quote or not use any quote at all. But—what if this was a potential life-threatening issue like--is that mole on my leg cancerous? Should I see a doctor about it? This is an issue that shouldn't be avoided.
The Internet is such an important tool in our lives today and it’s easy to turn to it for answers for everything including our health questions. It doesn’t ask for our medical insurance or make us wait for hours before a doctor can see us. So what if we find six different answers? How do we know which is the right one?
This is why the Haltom City Public Library urges to you attend the free seminar Finding Reliable Health Information of the Internet being held at the library on Friday, April 8, 2011 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. The workshop is being taught by Jessie Milligan, MLS, & Lisa Smith, MLS, both from the University of North Texas Health Science Center. They will teach you how to evaluate the health information you find on-line as well as demonstrate how to use MedlinePlus, the National Library of Medicine’s #1 health information tool. You will also be given information on other reliable and safe websites produced by Federal agencies. You won’t want to miss it. Your life could depend on it.
No comments:
Post a Comment